Circumcision: Never Assume Parental Knowledge

By Jen Sugarbakernames in this story have been changed to protect identies

I have a story of circumcision regret, not for my own son, but for a baby I did not save.

My brother Jim, and his girlfriend, Carrie, gave birth to a beautiful, premature baby boy. They live in the Northeast, and I live in the Southwest, but I communicate with Carrie frequently over Facebook as our boys are about the same age. When their son, Evan, was born a month and a half premature and placed in the NICU, I never even thought to talk with Carrie about circumcision. I just assumed that because her son was so small and fragile, she would not want to do anything to hurt him. I also knew that she was aware that my own son is intact, and that she would follow my lead.

I was shocked when my mother called and told me that my new nephew had been cut, only a few weeks after birth.

I learned an important lesson that day: if you know someone who is expecting, or has recently had a baby, TALK TO THEM about the dangers of circumcision and the benefits of keeping children intact. Never underestimate the other parent's naivety on the subject, or the powerful pressure a mother may be under from her partner, her family, or her medical providers to circumcise.

I wish now that I had spoken up for my nephew, and I refuse to let another opportunity like that pass me by. Please, do the same and speak up whenever you have the chance to do so.